Livestock market

Rachel Denny Clow/Caller-Times Frank Menke, an inspector with the Texas Animal Health Commission, waits to inspect cattle delivered for auction on Tuesday at Gulf Coast Livestock Market in Alice. In April and May, the market averaged between 800 and 1,500 cattle going to auction per week. Since the rain came in late May, the numbers have dropped to around 200 per week.

Corpus Christi Caller-Times

Rachel Denny Clow/Caller-Times Cattle are held in holding pens before a livestock auction on Tuesday at Gulf Coast Livestock Market in Alice. Ranchers haven chosen to sell off their cattle as the price of hay rises and the drought continues.

Corpus Christi Caller-Times

Rachel Denny Clow/Caller-Times Vern Davis (left) and Bruno Garcia, employees of Gulf Coast Livestock Market in Alice, move cattle into the chute as they are prepared to be auctioned on Tuesday. Ranchers have been selling their cattle recently because the drought has driven up the cost of ranching so much. But that doesn’t mean they are willing to give up on their profession. “The property has been in my family since 1889,” said Mike Mahon, a South Texas rancher. “I’m not going to lose it on my watch.”

Corpus Christi Caller-Times

Rachel Denny Clow/Caller-Times Cattle are held in holding pens before a livestock auction on Tuesday at Gulf Coast Livestock Market in Alice. In April and May, the market averaged between 800 and 1,500 cattle going to auction per week. Since the rain came in late May, the numbers have dropped to around 200 per week. Ranchers have been selling their cattle recently because the drought has driven up the cost of ranching so much. But that doesn’t mean they are willing to give up on their profession. “The property has been in my family since 1889,” said Mike Mahon, a South Texas rancher. “I’m not going to lose it on my watch.”

Corpus Christi Caller-Times

Rachel Denny Clow/Caller-Times Rick Hernandez (left) and Jose Garza, employees of Gulf Coast Livestock Market in Alice, unload cattle as they are prepared to be auctioned on Tuesday. Ranchers haven chosen to sell off their cattle as the price of hay rises and the drought continues into its third year.

Corpus Christi Caller-Times

Rachel Denny Clow/Caller-Times Rick Hernandez, an employee of Gulf Coast Livestock Market in Alice, moves cattle into a chute as it is prepared to be auctioned on Tuesday. In April and May, the market averaged between 800 and 1,500 cattle going to auction per week. Since the rain came in late May, the numbers have dropped to around 200 per week. Ranchers have been selling their cattle recently because the drought has driven up the cost of ranching so much. But that doesn’t mean they are willing to give up on their profession. “The property has been in my family since 1889,” said Mike Mahon, a South Texas rancher. “I’m not going to lose it on my watch.”